Review: Pirate Santa by Clay Clement / Mark Summers

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Pirate Santa is a charming illustrated children's storybook that promises a delightful mix of bold buccaneers and swashbuckling good fun. It teaches the universal values of kindness and standing up for what's right.
SYNOPSIS:  "Pirate Girl" and "Ninja Boy" don't meet Santa's definition of good, and are therefore ineligible for the trappings of a Merry Christmas.  Their cause is championed by their dad, "Papa Tal" and the crew of the pirate ship, of which he is a member. Look for Cap'n Slappy (who happens to be Santa's cousin!) They overcome obstacles and work together to make sure that Christmas comes to ALL children, including Pirate Girls and Ninja Boys.

MY TAKE:

I'm more of a ninja fan than a pirate fan, but what's not to like about a book that has pirates, ninjas AND Santa Claus?

In Pirate Santa, it seems that Pirate Girls and Ninja Boys can't get gifts from Santa Claus. Capn' Slappy doesn't want to see the kids sad so he takes it upon himself to make sure that even Pirate Girls and Ninja Boys have a nice Christmas.

This was an interesting and original concept so I liked it immediately. You don't see a lot of children's books wherein there are ninjas, pirates, mermaids and sharks, and Santa's cousin is a pirate.

I thought it was cute that the page numbers had pirate symbols drawn above them. The illustrations remind me of Animaniacs comics I used to read. They're sort of glossy and the range of gradation of colors aren't as wide as in more realistic illustrations.

Thanks to NetGalley and Studio City Tattoo Inc for the e-copy.

THE GOOD:

1. It's an interesting concept.
2. It's a feel-good story for kids.
3. There are pirates, a ninja, a mermaid, tiger sharks and Santa Claus.

THE BAD:

1. Some people may prefer a different illustration style.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

The six tiger sharks then all started to sing. Who knew they could talk? It must be their "thing." They quoted some Shakespeare and played some nice games, then remembered their manners and told us their names.

READ IT IF:

1. Your kid likes pirates or ninjas.
2. Your looking for a nice Christmas story for your children.
3. You like original concepts.

RATING:


SOUNDS INTERESTING?